Amid rapidly falling prices, mounting losses and massive operational costs, the upstream solar photovoltaic (PV) supply chain is undergoing major consolidation, with the number of companies participating in the market expected to plunge by 70 percent this year. Worldwide, the total number of companies participating directly in the manufacturing of PV solar panels, from polysilicon manufacturing through module assembly, is …
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Solar Power in Queens – Distribution Center Leads Way
SUPERMARKET DISTRIBUTION CENTER POWERS UP IN QUEENS, NEW YORK WITH NEW ROOFTOP SOLAR ARRAY ~ Matspeth Community Welcomes a Completed Renewable Energy Power Plant Project for the Kam Man Food Corporation, Featuring Latest German-Engineered Panels and Cutting Edge Mounting System ~ The Matspeth Community announces the completion of a solar energy system on top of the distribution center for Kam …
Read More »Challenge Filed To Protect Solar Tax Credit In Hawaii
Sierra Club, Earthjustice File Legal Challenge to Protect Solar Tax Credit in Hawai‘i State tax proposal would slam the brakes on solar energy, Hawai‘i jobs Today, the Sierra Club, represented by Earthjustice, filed a legal challenge in state circuit court to the Hawai‘i Department of Taxation’s recent decision to cut back on tax credits for residents and businesses that install …
Read More »What if you can’t afford LED lights?
By Elisa Wood Advanced lighting has brought us not only energy savings, but also a slew of new screw-in-a-light bulb jokes. For LEDs, it usually goes something like this: How many people does it take to screw in a LED light? One. And a roomful of deep wallets to pay for it. To be fair, the cost of LEDs (light-emitting …
Read More »Emerging Markets Predicted to Bring Stability to Solar Industry
Emerging markets are forecast to help bring stability to ailing solar industry, with up to 12 gigawatts (GW) of new photovoltaic (PV) capacity added in 2017 up from just 1.6 GW in 2012, according to a new IHS solar report. The recently released study, which evaluated the potential for PV additions in 40 countries around the world, found that up …
Read More »Solar Trade Demystified
Last week, the U.S. Commerce Department imposed tariffs on $3 billion a year worth of Chinese solar panel imports. Non-Chinese solar panel manufacturers contend that China is able to “dump” cheap panels on the global market thanks to lavish Chinese government subsidies. This imbalance compounds the unfair advantage Chinese manufacturers already enjoy thanks to its huge low-wage workforce. It’s a …
Read More »Solar Energy Sparks Economic Resurgence
By Michael Gorton, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of Principal Solar Despite the sluggish economy, the US solar industry has seen massive growth in the past two years, creating jobs across the country, driving innovation and attracting investors. In fact, solar installations reached 742MW in the second quarter, up 45 percent over the prior quarter, and a 116-percent increase over …
Read More »Electric Car Concepts With Rooftop Solar Panels
When the idea of the electric car was proposed to minimize greenhouse gases and pollution, the two basic platforms were the hybrid platform and a pure electric platform. When it comes to the latter, the main issue is the low range of operation. While the breakthrough in battery technology is unlikely to happen, students, scientists, hobbyists and of course companies …
Read More »Solar Power Digest 9-8
Mobile Robots Turn Solar Panels to Follow the Sun IEEE Spectrum Startup QBotix says robots can boost efficiency of solar energy. China Price War Draining Jobs in Germany’s Solar Valley Renewable Energy World When Thomas Behling returned to his home state of Saxony-Anhalt in 2006, he was drawn by a job in the solar industry and the chance to participate …
Read More »Solar Pioneer Spreads Word In Central America
SolEnergy owner Ken Olson has seen remote villages in Central America with no light. He knows the impact a small, two-watt solar panel can make. “What does strike me is the great gap between these two worlds,” he said, of his recent travels to El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua. “On one hand, we provide two-watt systems, basically the panel is …
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Solar gardens to bloom on Colorado rooftop, farm field and parking lot Denver Post Where do you plant a solar garden? In Colorado they’ll be found on the roof of an old airplane hangar, on pillars hovering over a vegetable field and a school parking lot. Those are a few of the place that the first solar gardens – photovoltaic …
Read More »Paint On Battery?
Rice researchers develop paintable battery Technique could turn any surface into a lithium-ion battery; may be combined with solar cells Researchers at Rice University have developed a lithium-ion battery that can be painted on virtually any surface. The rechargeable battery created in the lab of Rice materials scientist Pulickel Ajayan consists of spray-painted layers, each representing the components in a …
Read More »3 Ways to Make Solar Energy Affordable
With more and more consumers wanting to reduce their carbon footprints, the use of home solar power has arisen as an extremely viable and eco-friendly option. The only reason it has not become more widespread is the cost, which for many people has simply been too high. However, the cost of manufacturing is slowly coming down, due to increased innovation, …
Read More »Community Owned Solar Garden
How to grow a solar energy garden By Elisa Wood Getting energy from the sun is a great idea. However, installing solar panels house-by-house is slow, costly and cumbersome, and downright inefficient if the goal is to bring solar to the masses. This problem troubled Paul Spencer after he built his own uber-efficient, custom solar home near Aspen, Colorado in …
Read More »Solar Wafer and Cell Prices Remain on Slight Uptrend, Q3 Shipments Dependent on Market
According to EnergyTrend, a research division of TrendForce, affected by economic instability in the eurozone, some European power plant investments have not progressed on schedule. Furthermore, Q3 order expectations were initially high, but prospects have changed after the conclusion of the Intersolar Europe exhibition. Although there have not been significant alterations to orders with Taiwanese manufacturers, and suppliers indicate all …
Read More »Solar-Powered Appliances Reduce Energy Waste
Solar power is one of the most eco-friendly forms of energy available to consumers. Solar technology draws energy from sunlight, which is converted to electricity by exterior-mounted solar panels. One of the disadvantages of solar panels is that a large field of these panels is required to provide the power necessary to fuel a single home, let alone a neighborhood …
Read More »Butuan school installs renewable energy
http://www.mindanews.com/top-stories/2012/05/31/butuan-school-leads-renewable-energy-use-and-education/ With the energy crisis plaguing Mindanao, a school here is spearheading the campaign in advocating the use of renewable energy by using these technologies right inside campus, and even introducing a subject on the topic. The Philippine Electronics and Communication Institute of Technology (PECIT) has started putting up wind power generators last April and is in the process in …
Read More »Has Solar Leadership In CA Cost Too Much?
The LA Times examines the effect of net metering in California on solar system installations. Net metering has been a big success in helping to give consumers a reason to install solar. IN fact until net metering came along (and leasing options) I was held up in limbo. I wanted to have solar on my house but could not find …
Read More »Solar Panels Dumping Decision
Anti-dumping and Anti-countervailing Decision Unexpected, Manufacturers Treading Carefully Last Friday’s (May 18) results for the preliminary ruling on the U.S. anti-dumping and anti-countervailing case against China were not what the PV industry expected, and Chinese manufacturers were caught off guard by the news, resulting in delayed price negotiations for June. According to EnergyTrend, a research division of TrendForce, related vendors …
Read More »Solar Power In The Cold North
Notice how they installed the solar panels on the side of the roof? Winter snows dont cover them up and they can still provide energy to heat the airport building. Chosen as a project because of its public use and higher profile, the solar thermal heat now part of the Brainerd Lakes Regional Airport is hoped to be a model …
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